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“Custom Papers Writers” derives from the Latin meaning “for the good”. The phrase is used to describe legal work undertaken voluntarily.

Getting involved in pro bono gives students the chance to gain a greater understanding of how the legal system works in practice, something that cannot be gained by merely studying law. As these projects offer a vital service to the community, pro bono work also gives students the chance to give something back to society. Obviously this type of work looks great on your CV. It is a good way to demonstrate key skills that employers look for, such as communication, leadership and team work.

This year, the Law Society has more projects running than ever before, which means we want as many people volunteering as possible. The amount of time and commitment needed varies with each project. However, as many people rely on the services that these projects offer, anybody getting involved must be prepared to honour their obligations throughout the year.

This page will be updated regularly to let you know of any upcoming presentations or new projects. Emails with this information will also be sent to Law Society members. If you would like to receive this information but are not a member, please contact Jane Randell.

Please also contact Jane if you have any questions or would like to sign up for a project. Alternatively you could email the project leaders directly (click on the project link for details).

Coventry Refugee Centre

The centre was set up in 2001 to deal with the many refugees being dispersed to Coventry. The Asylum Team offers practical assistance to those seeking leave to remain, helping individuals understand the process and ensuring that they are getting the support they are entitled to. The centre also offers assistance to those who have been granted refugee status, providing help with accommodation and settling into the community. Students are involved in all of these areas, providing essential support to meet the ever increasing demand for help.

Street Law

The legal system has a huge impact on everybody’s life yet many people know little about the issues that can directly affect them. This project enables students to go in to local schools to discuss areas of law that may be of relevance to the pupils, with the aim of demystifying the process. The classes are interactive and encourage critical thinking of the topics discussed.

Victim Support

This organisation provides support for those who have recently become victims of crime. The volunteers make house calls to provide practical and emotional support to help individuals cope with traumatic events. Volunteers are offered extensive training to assist victims at this crucial time, with students gaining a greater understanding of the criminal legal system.

St Oswald’s Advice Centre

This project has been set up in a deprived area of Coventry to offer legal assistance to the community. The centre has only one permanent staff member and therefore relies entirely on Warwick students to provide support.

Warwick Legal Advice Centre

This is a new project for September and different from many legal advice centres. It provides education and information to the local community on legal issues so that individuals have the knowledge to avoid legal problems occurring rather than waiting for a problem to arise before taking action. Students will give talks in community centres, produce leaflets and distribute posters to ensure people are getting the most out of the legal system.

Justice Project

This is another new initiative designed to help those who have been victims of miscarriages of justice. Students, working closely with lecturers and solicitors, will research into the evidence or law regarding a specific individual’s case with the aim of getting the case re heard. Several high profile miscarriages of justice have recently been brought to the public’s attention and demonstrate how crucial legal support is for those individuals wrongly imprisoned.

If you would like to apply for the project, you will need to fill in an application form. This can be found here. It will need to be completed and returned to Andrew Williams by email by the 24th November 2006.

To find out more information about some upcoming projects please click here.

Sign up for the Internal Mooting Competition

A Moot is a mock trial where two teams compete by arguing a fictitious legal case in front of a Judge in a court (usually this is simply a seminar room). The case (“moot problem”) will concern various contentious legal issues and points of law. It is then up to the two teams, the Respondents and the Appellants, to present their side of the case to the judge.

In deciding the outcome of a moot, the Judge looks at how well the case has been researched, how well the research has been applied to the facts of the case and how accurately the relevant laws have been interpreted. However, although the Judge places significance on the specific law, the skills of advocacy and persuasion that each team employs are the deciding factor in choosing the winner. This means that the law may not be in your favour, but if your argument is compelling enough you can still win the moot!

This can sound all a bit daunting at first, but we are here to show you that mooting can not only be great fun but can improve several indispensable skills such as public speaking, persuasion, research and critical thinking.

We will be holding many mooting related events throughout the next year, including a demonstration moot and mooting seminar in week one, an internal competition starting in term two (there is a cash prize involved here!) and external moots with other Universities. We will also be holding various drinks receptions at these events for you to get to know your fellow mooters and mooting officers. In addition we hope to hold a mooting drop-in session during the internal competition, so we can offer you any advice you may need. Exact details of all these events will be posted in the Law School and on the website in due course.

As your mooting officers we are here to help you so please feel free to contact us.

As the Internal Affairs and Welfare Officer it is my job to look after the well being of the members of the Law Society. We at the Law Society are always trying to bring more opportunities and support for our members. Get help of the Best essay writer online.

This year Internal Affairs and Welfare has many new exciting projects:

A major aspect of my job is to start and maintain the mentoring scheme. This scheme pairs up a current student (the Mentor) with a new student (the Mentee) and is meant to act as a system of support and help with issues ranging from module choices, essays to personal issues. The scheme has worked very successfully in the past and this year we hope to improve and expand on it.

Student Problem Time

I will be available in the Law School Common Room from 1-2pm on Mondays to answer any problems that students may have. These problems can include any issues that you would prefer not to discuss with your Personal Tutor/ Mentor or issues you would like brought to the attention of the Law Society. I will now be representing the Law Society in the SSLC, so you can come and see me to highlight any issues you would like to be discussed in these meetings. Alternatively, you can just come and chat! If you can not make it within this time, email any problems and I can reply by email or meet with you at a more convenient time. Hopefully there will also be a box where sensible (!) questions can be posted that I can email replies to or refer you to the appropriate person.

Common Room Refurbishment

Please email any changes or additions to the Common Room that you would like to see. Already ideas have included a water cooler, recycling bin and a coffee machine. This is your space so make it one you want!

Book Sale Money

The deadline for claiming Book Sale Money has now passed. If you have a genuine reason why you have not been able to collect your money in the past three weeks, please email me.

Mentoring Scheme Pub Quiz

Sunday 19th November, 7pm in The Graduate Club. £200 worth of prizes! Free to enter! Easy questions! An open Bar! How can you resist!!! Thanks to the kind support of our new sponsor, Addleshaw Goddard.

In the Spring Term the Law society is going to organise the first Module Choice Day. Students and Staff will come together to discuss the module options and you can gain more information from all points of view before you make those important module decisions! This will offer a more detailed and personal guide than the Module Choice Booklet.

We are also working on providing a forum for discussion on issues that are important to you along with having a better dialogue with the Law School. There are several ways by which you can participate in this forum so watch this space for more news. Here’s hoping you have a fantastic year!

The role of the Treasurer is to take care of the society accounts. They create and enforce the budget for all Law Society departments and ensure their activities are profitable. All the societies’ finances run through the Treasurer who is responsible for collecting debts and paying creditors. The role involves frequent liaisons between the union, other exec members, and law firm sponsors. As part of the top three the Ttreasurer together with the President and Secretary takes responsibility for the day to day running as well as wider aims and the direction the society takes throughout the course of the year.

As the General Secretary it is up to me to ensure that the Society functions smoothly. That means co-ordination between members of the exec, liaising with the Law School and if necessary other departments.

I will also be working closely with the President and the Treasurer to ensure that we deliver on our promises and make the Law Society as accessible to its members as possible. There are a lot of opportunities for members to get involved and we will try our best to expand our activities to involve as many people as possible.

Then there is the Law Ball, the biggest social event on the Warwick calendar! This year promises to be as much fun as the last few years. It is definitely not an event to be missed.

This year’s exec is committed and helpful so please fell free to approach anyone of us. Here’s hoping you have a brilliant year!

The Publicity Department will be working hard throughout the year to provide all members with the necessary information about what the society has to offer. The department will aim to get everyone involved in social, mooting, writing, sporting and general academic events. It is here to advise and inform its members about the best methods of maximising their use of the Law Society.

The biggest highlight of the year of course will be the mighty Law Ball but all other Law Society events will equally be as fun and rewarding. So come on and get involved in what this society has to offer!

External Affairs – it certainly doesn’t sound like the most exciting aspect of one of Warwick’s largest student-led societies, whose action-packed timetable will keep your legal minds and alcohol-consuming mouths busy all year round!

However, it is an essential part of ensuring that the Warwick Law Society constantly meets the needs of its members. Below is a quick run-down of how good external links can help you…

So you’ve got you’re A-Levels, chosen a university (good choice, by the way), and now you’re looking for a career which will reward you for all your hard work. In association with the university’s Career Service, and with a little bit of work of our own, we hope to provide students with a diverse selection of events and advice which can allow you to make the right choices from the outset of your legal career.

First of all, you’ll probably already know that the route to becoming a lawyer is a complex one. There’s the academic stage, where you acquire a qualifying law degree, or read for another degree and then take a one-year conversion course (the GDL or CPE). Then there’s the vocational stage – the Legal Practice Course (LPC) for all you budding solicitors, while would-be barristers take the Bar Vocational Course (BVC). You’ll also want to have secured a Training Contract or Pupillage at some point, as well as take part in a Vacation Scheme or Mini-Pupillage to make sure that your final choice is the right one for you.

We hope to answer any questions you may have through the following events:

Law Firm Graduate Recruitment Presentation Evenings

City law firms are always keen to meet Warwick students, and feed them with posh sandwiches in return for their attention. If you are interested in a career as a commercial solicitor in the City, keep your eyes peeled over the coming months for details of such events.

Skills-based career sessions

This year we would like to introduce a number of events which allow you to get a feel for a particular law firm, or whether a career in law is the right choice for you. We are in talks with firms and hope to organise smaller events based around vital skills, such as negotiation, commercial awareness and interview techniques. We will let all of our members know the details of these events when they have been finalized, and would look for students to sign up for these highly beneficial events in advance.

Law Fair

The Law Society will provide you with details of Warwick’s annual Law Fair as it happens, so you won’t miss out on perusing countless glossy brochures and finding out how much a lawyer actually earns!

National Pupillage Fair

For those of you considering the barrister route, we have traditionally organised a trip to Lincoln’s Inn, London, for the National Pupillage Fair, a chance for budding advocates to rub shoulders with the best the Bar has to offer.

Additionally, you can always contact the External Affairs Officer, Matt Butter, or any member of the Exec, who should be able to point you in the right direction with answers to any burning questions you may have.

External Events

The External Affairs Officer is in constant contact with other members of the Exec, to ensure that events such as inter-university sports and mooting can be run as efficiently as possible.

Sponsorship

External Affairs plays a big part in creating the capital which allows any events within the Law Society to happen. We are in direct contact with potential sponsors who love to provide us with cash for garish sports kits, honourable mooting judges, champagne-soaked socials and the infamous Law Ball.